Equestrian Legends: The Mercenary of Magic and Steel [Book-3]

The next morning, I woke up to screaming, and crying… Not to mention the sound of crumbling buildings… I quickly left my bed and home to see what happened… The fortress was in ruins. We must have been attacked… But by who, and why? I thought to myself while trotting towards the training ground, only to find most of who I called friend dead… I didn’t even bother making sure, there was no chance left for them… Soon, I ran into Swiftsteel, Starlight’s sister.

“This couldn’t be any worse…” She exclaimed, looking at my fellow youth lying slain on the fields… I walked up to her, since she had her back to me…

“Indeed… But how, and why would anypony do such thing?” I inquired.

“I wish I knew… I really do.” She replied, when I heard a familiar voice calling from the ruins..

*Cough* “Tami! Over here!” *Cough* It was Blood… His hind legs and haunches buried under stones and wooden beams… We rushed over to him, trying to help, but I was the only Unicorn nearby.

Swiftsteel tried to use her head to lift one of the beams, she did her best, while I tried to use my telekinesis to do the same… But I couldn’t do it… “No! No no no no! There has to be a way to get you out of there!” I muttered in blind panic…

“Don’t bother with it…” He replied.

“Are you crazy? Of course I will!”

“Worthless effort…” *Cough* “My time is over…” He replied, I did NOT like his faint tone…

“Don’t be ridiculous! You have plenty left!” I replied, not willing to lose the only friend I had left…

“Oh Tami… You just won’t give up, will you? Let’s face it, I won’t live much longer…”

“Why? Your haunches and hind legs are broken, but no vital organ damage!” I replied.

“You think? Look…” He replied, doing his best to point into the small opening he was in… His limbs weren’t crushed, but torn off, bleeding profusely. I dropped to my knees in disbelief… “Don’t blame yourself.” *Cough* “You did your best…” *Grunt* “I’ll be waiting on the flip side…” He exclaimed, and went limp… Forever… It was just too much for me… I couldn’t hold back, I looked up and screamed as loud as my lungs and throat would allow, then cried like never before, but not for long, as I had made a decision…

“I’m sorry…” Swiftsteel exclaimed.

“Don’t be… Not for him… But for who’s responsible for this…”

“Are you all right?”

“Luna and the stars be my witness, I will not rest, or die, until I find retribution for their souls…” I swore on that fateful dawn… And remained true both to that promise, and the beliefs of The Lunar Eclipse…

“If that is what you desire, then I shall allow you to leave, on your own risk..” She replied.

“Thank you… I will do my best to restore the clan to it’s full pride, power, and honor…” I assured her, she, in response, gave me a silver cloak and hood, and a dagger… When her siblings arrived.

“Swiftsteel, Altamir, good to see you’re unharmed...Because, you are, right?” Starlight inquired.

“Indeed, Tamir was just about to set off on his adventure, seeking revenge, actually…” She replied.

“Heh, courage makes a good Mercenary… Take care of yourself out there, kid!” Starryshield exclaimed.

“Any more words of wisdom I need to know?” I replied, they shook their heads. “Very well then, I will begin my search in Ponyville…”

“Good luck, Altamir…” Starlight exclaimed, and I left the crumbling ruins and remains… Those who I left behind immediately began to clean up the tragedy… It didn’t take me too long to enter the Everfree Forest… The memories of Sarah made it difficult to enter at first, but I went through anyway… As I walked down the seemingly, and temporarily safe forest, I saw a Zebra sitting on her haunches, in front of a pile of wood, mud, and other materials…

“Forgive my intrusion, Zebra… But what hurts your heart this much?” I inquired after seeing her cry…

“Oh, hello there my friend… I’m sure you didn’t mean to offend… I went to Ponyville to see the store, and when I returned, my home was no more…”

“I see. Here, let me help you…” I replied, and spread the ruins, allowing her to salvage anything she found worth from her old home… She only kept a book from the ruins.

“I believe I owe you a thank you, I’m glad I happened to meet you… Now I need somewhere to go, is there a place that you know?”

“In fact… Yes…” I quickly looked at the ruins, trying to guess her profession. “If you go that way, you will find a fortress… Those inside could use your help.”

“If my potions and brew could be what you need, then it will be the way it’s meant to be…” She replied, and trotted off with the book in her mouth.

Whooptie fucking do… I might have just sent her off towards her death… I realized, and looked the way she went, but she was gone… Then again, we don’t kill innocents passing by, unless the mean harm or threaten Luna. The later thought assured me she’ll be fine… So I walked on, until I was stopped by, to my surprise, Humans..

“Hold it there pal, identify yourself…” One of the guards exclaimed.

“Altamir De Marz.” I replied.

“Hmm… What do you guys say? Should we let Altamir in?” He asked the others.

“Well, he reminds me of the guy they called Altaïr…” One of them replied, and took aim.

“Such a pity… I came here in peace, but I will have to crush you all into a pile of metal and flesh…” I replied, trying to intimidate them.

“Oooh, we have a tough guy here…”

*Sigh* “I warned you… Let me through…” I replied.

“Or what?”

“Or else I’ll feed you your teeth…” Ezio replied from behind.

“Shove off, old man…” He replied and pushed him away… Ezio knocked 2 of them out in response.

One of the remaining guards reached for their radios. “Dispatch! We have a 10-” *Splat* *Splat* Suddenly a blade punctured their throats, and dropped dead.

“It was a lot easier in my youth… Are you hurt?” He asked.

“No, I’m fine… Thanks for the help, Ezio.”

“What you know my name?”

“Should I have forgotten instead?” I replied.

“Wait… No, Tamir, is that really you?”

“The one and only… Thanks to Starlight, I got older.”

“Ah, and what brings you back?”

“The Lunar Eclipse was attacked recently, and I’m looking for the one responsible…”

“And how is your search so far?”

“I’m going to see what can I uncover among these ponies…”

“I see… If I were you, I would look around the pub first… The bottom feeders know more than you would think.”

“They’re just a waste of time… If there’s anything that would make them talk, then it would be a few bits, or a dagger…”

“Do as you wish… You know where to find me…” He replied and left, while I searched the bodies, and found about 100 bits…

They probably get more for what happened… I thought to myself and pocketed it… Soon a hawk landed in front of me, a scroll in it’s beak. I took the letter to see what it was.

“Dear Altamir…

You just left hours ago, yet you already found a Zebra who could help us, and who we could help in return… You stood in line twice when they dispensed luck, didn’t you?

Zecora did her best to help us out, you have no idea how exhausting it is to drag dead bodies you knew all day, so her brews were useful…  If you happen to go to Ponyville, do me a favor, and get some cyder, so we can celebrate when you return to us, even for a short while…

While you were away, we managed to calculate the casualties… Around 50% of the population… Including our tool. armor, and weaponsmiths, the arrow fletcher, and basically anypony vital in order for us to attack…

If you have the chance, send some of the mentioned above our way, you did us a great favor already…

Stay safe, and best of luck.

~Swift Steel.”

Apparently, we were lucky to wake up… I petted the bird, and told it to follow me until I get a chance to write a letter, not having any paper, ink, pen, pencil or quill at the time, and walked on, until I found a store called Quills and Sofas… I went in, and asked for some in and quill, but I was told they’re out of stock…  “What do you mean you’re out of stock? This place is full of sofas! No wonder you don’t have any ink and quill! There’s barely any room to breathe in here!” I replied to the clerk.

“Is everything all right, sir?” One of the guards asked from behind.

“Yes, yes thank you, we’re just simply out of stock…” He replied.

“Your call.” The guard replied and left. We argued with the clerk for a while, until, to my surprise, a lavender Alicorn entered the store.

I took off my hood, since it wasn’t raining outside, and bowed down as she walked by, so did the clerk. “Good morning sir, do you have ink and quills in stock?” She asked, I was about to inform her, when the clerk nodded and hoofed a vial of ink and a quill over to her. “Thank you, how much?”

“25 bits.” He replied. When she was about to pay, I stepped in and placed the price on the counter.

“Please, be my guest…” I exclaimed.

“Thats very nice of you, but I can pay…” She replied.

“I know, but I insist…” She agreed to let me pay.

“If you insist so much, thank you…” I nodded in response, and she left.

As soon as the door closed shut, I looked back at the clerk with an unpleased face to say the least. “Out of stock my ass…”

“Didn’t you notice? She’s a special customer!”

“Oh… Is that so? Have I introduced you to my friend yet?” I inquired while pulling out the dagger.

“Sir, put that away, or I’ll call the guards…”

“Why should you? All I want is some damn ink and quill!”

“Because you’re trying to rob me! That’s why!”

“When have I ever said I won’t pay?” I inquired, and he gave me an upset face.

“Well played… Well played… Here you go.” He replied, and finally gave me what I wanted. I paid for it, left, and never returned…

Now for a sheet of paper… I looked around, no stores selling such, but what I DID see, was a grey mare carrying the mail… She was a Pegasus, so she had less trouble with the crowd, unfortunately, every now and then, a few letters escaped her bag, and were scattered by the wind… *Sigh* Why not? I asked myself, and decided to get them for her… It took me a few hours, but I got as many as I could… Collecting letters all day made me hungry, so I decided to look for a place to eat… And I found it, Sugarcube Corner… I walked in and made my way to the counter, and was welcomed by a cerulean coated Earthpony mare. “Hello, what can I get you?” She inquired.

“A bread please.” I replied.

She took some sort of spoon into her mouth, and with that, a bread into a paper bag, and put it onto the counter. “That’s 20 bits.” I levitated the said amount onto the counter and took the bag. “Thank you, please come again.” She replied.

“Thanks, I’ll try.” I replied, and headed for the exit, when I noticed the same mare from before, sitting at one of the desks, eating muffins. Finally… I walked up to the desk and asked if she would mind me taking a seat.

“No, go ahead…”

I sat down, and began eating my bread… “So…” *Crunch* *Crunch* “Why are you so sad, if I may know?” I knew it all along… I just wanted to see if she would admit it…

“As if it matters anymore… I’m the mailmare in town… But today half of the letters disappeared…”

“Oh… You mean these ones?” I inquired while levitating the letters onto the table… Her crooked eyes filled with relief and happiness, she nodded in response, and pulled me in to a bear hug, nearly breaking a few of my ribs… “You’re…” *Cough* “Welcome…” *Squee* *Thump* *Cough*

“My bad… Is there a way I could return the favor?” She asked.

“Well, a sheet of paper and an envelope would do.” I replied. “I have a letter to write, the bird is waiting outside… She actually helped me gather these letters…” I added.

“If that’s all you need…” She replied, and gave me the paper and envelope.

In the end, I thanked her, and she thanked me, and we both left, since the Moon was about to rise… I went into one of the alleyways, and found myself a corner. I detached the hood, and used it as a pillow, while the cloak was the blanket… “May the only one, and true Princess of the night honor us by her presence in our dreams, and guide us through our lives, protecting us as we rest through her glorious night, which may last forever, so all can witness it’s eternal beauty.” I muttered as usual, for some reason I muttered that every time before going to sleep…

End of Chapter 1